People sometimes think that the colder months of the year would lead to higher accident totals. But the opposite is usually true. Accident rates tend to spike in the summer, showing that there is greater danger for drivers.
There are numerous different reasons why this happens. For one thing, there are longer daylight hours. This leads to more driving overall, which simply increases the odds that accidents are going to occur. But there’s one other factor that’s very important to consider: An influx of teenage drivers.
The 100 deadliest days
Teens don’t have to go to school over the summer. Most teens who are still students, either in high school or in college, are going to have roughly 100 days off. During the school year, teenagers are still one of the most high-risk age groups when it comes to accidents. They have a disproportionately high fatal accident rate.
In the summer, though, specifically because they don’t have school and so they spend more time driving, fatal teen accident totals tend to increase. This is because the most at-risk age group is driving more often, and they are causing numerous accidents that involve other drivers. The roads do get somewhat safer again in the fall, when teens head back to the classroom and spend less time on the road.
What options do you have?
If you drive this summer, the risk from teenagers is something you can’t necessarily avoid. One of them could cause an accident at any time. If you have suffered serious injuries in such a crash, or if you’ve even lost a loved one, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation for medical bills, funeral costs, lost wages, long-term injuries and more.
